Are you afraid of the dark?

“Now all the people witnessed the thunder, the lightning flashes, the sound of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking. When the people saw it, they trembled and stood afar off.  Then they said to Moses, “You speak with us, and we will hear; but let not God speak with us, lest we die.” Moses said to the people, “Do not fear; for God has come to test you, and that His fear may be before you, so that you may not sin.”  So the people stood afar off; but Moses drew near the thick darknesswhere God was,” (Exodus 20: 18-21). The response of the people to the direct manifestation of God’s presence was one of fear. Having a close encounter with God ought to be awe-inspiring: you cannot hear directly from God and fail to be aware that while He is holy…